DSTV prices across the region compared
Techtrends decided to have a look what Zambians pay for their DSTV subscriptions compared to countries in the region, namely South Africa and Zimbabwe. DSTV Zimbabwe recently announced a reduction in the prices of all their bouquets.
The reason for the price reduction in Zimbabwe is to help customers through the tough economic times. I wanted to do a regional comparison. With fuel price in Zambia having gone up by close to 40% we must brace ourselves for tough economic times ahead and balance our domestic books carefully. Whenever the price of fuel goes up nearly all commodities across the board follow and increase their prices, meaning we have to make sacrifices in our households.
Most Zambian households view DSTV as a luxury except during the premier league. With Zimbabweans being given discounts due to the tough economic times I wondered just how much cheaper their DSTV is to ours. The following table has the prices for the bouquets in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.
| Bouquet | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Zambia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | R759.00 | R1001.00 | R1418.87 (K818.00) |
| Compact Plus | R459.00 | R653.00 | R752.79 (K536.00) |
| Compact | R345.00 | R389.00 | R450.83 (K321.00) |
| Family | R219.00 | R236.00 | R287.98 (K205.00) |
| Access | R99.00 | R152.00 | R151.72 (K108.00) |
As Zambians, we pay more. Surprisingly, the difference is not uniform across the bouquets, as a Zambian customer you pay substantially for the higher value bouquets. When you buy a Premium bouquet you pay 88% more than a South Africa subscriber, and 41% more than a subscriber in Zimbabwe!
We hope as Zambians DSTV can feel sorry for us and pass on an economic hardship discount in the next few months.
It looks like Uganda are getting a discount too. 14% off the Premium package.
http://bigeye.ug/dstv-subscription-prices-slashed-entertainment-channels-added-dstv-packages/
While tax regimes may differ by country, I find 88% and 41% difference highly unreasonable. If these were within 10-25% margin, it would make sense. Zambia is being reaped off.
I agree with you.
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These prices needs some kind of harmonization. It’s like one country is paying far more than others. We need some form of uniformity unless there are some unexplained issues behind these prices
I feel totally betrayed by competition commission of zambia and DSTV. Do I deserve this kind of exploitation surely? Just because of wanting to watch EPL? Our economic situation is dire as well
Thats why i will never pay any subscription in Zambia…we will stick to internet TV!!!
now this is stealing at its best and to top it off they are reducing for Zimbabwe which may mean we pay even more for the same, I wonder what the reason may be for Zambia coz I believe satellite TV is direct and doesn’t care if you a landlocked country, hope DSTV and ZNBC the major shareholders look into this business model
I would like to stick with VOD and Internet Tv any time because its so convenient. However what unlimited data packages do we have in Zambia. We have Zamtel ADSL which is a joke, and they too have stopped offering an unlimited service now.
Can it be that DSTv is considered an import by customs and Multichoice Zambia must pay duties on the product? I know for a fact that internet bandwidth is considered an import which is why we pay such ludicrous prices.
Hi Jim, you may be right but so far we have not found anything conclusive.
The problem with us Zambians is that we’re not united when it comes to exploitation from multinationals. It’s like when you complain then you’re just broke. And ZNBC can’t talk because it’s benefiting.